Daily pages of reflection...for knowledge, understanding, to wisdom
Section of The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci Section of The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci

Missions

September 2, 2019
Year 4, Day 245 | No Comments
Section of Noli me Tangere by Hans Holbein the Younger

The following is a continuation from the Junior Series date relating to missions.  The movements of persons to the filling of the earth have been commonly attributed to frontier escape – the act of getting away from circumstances that violate security and opportunity craved by human beings.  The political and state reasons for exploration of distant lands related to expansion of control, and the search for control of trade, riches and power – until the general frontier or rank exploitation closed.  The motivations were essentially to gain from frontiers something missing or not easily available from home environments.  Indians moved west to escape the undue pressure of the white man.  Mormons moved west to escape mistreatment to death and conflict… Read more

Rights and Righteousness

September 1, 2019
Year 4, Day 244 | No Comments
Section of Adoration of the Magi, artist unknown

We are concerned here with the vast sea of ideas, propositions, perceptions, guesses, affirmations and denials related to God or God assumptions.  Many have come to us from primitive and ancient times. They are played to us as though they were serious toys, and often include a form of judgment about God that not many logics can manage.  The very theories and perceptions may, in fact, repel God from any interest in contexts they create.  Because the world activists are, at this writing, largely taken by the shift in meaning of homosexuality, and some success in major change in the concept of marriage, so making the marriage of two persons of the same sex legal, and of the same meaning… Read more

Meekness

August 31, 2019
Year 4, Day 243 | No Comments
Section of The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci

At this writing – for some days demonstrations have spread across the country generated by citizens responding to the decisions of government, prompted by grand juries, not to prosecute police officers who have killed, by gunfire, persons of minority racial status in the nation.  The demonstrations have been ugly in confrontations with police, fires set even to homes and businesses far afield from the sites of the tragic deaths – stores looted, and angry protests that have touched millions of persons not related in any way to the alleged wrongs of both offenders and offended in the tragic events.  These events slow the meanderings for improvements in social advancement, perhaps stopping them for a period.  The advancement of peaceful resistance… Read more

Wanting To Want To

August 30, 2019
Year 4, Day 242 | No Comments
Section of Christ and the Adulteress, Lucas Cranach the Younger and Workshop, ca. 1545–50

It seems that no matter what one might believe there is an outline of justification for the belief, and just as surely there are those who hold to opposing positions of that affirmation with outlines of reasons and proofs to support their theories.  Unless students are mature to the faulty and variant conditions, practices and orientations related to the search for truth and agreement, they would avoid the conflict of scholarship and order and simply press on to a preferred conclusion and course of action.  What is the course to follow in a world taken by intellectual, moral and emotional conflict? Jonathan Klawans writing in Biblical Archaeological Review for January/February, 2015 began his article about ancient Israel in the light… Read more

Wisdom’s Window

August 29, 2019
Year 4, Day 241 | No Comments
Section of The Taking of Christ, Caravaggio, 1602

Of the obligations we owe to life is the responsibility to seek that place of wisdom that is identified in Scripture as understanding and applying to life that which comes to us in what is summarized as maturity.  For many persons maturity (wisdom, the human substitute for perfection) provides status to the individual in family and friendships – with persons learning that true and open to self and others leads to maturity.  One of the truisms about maturity is that it is presumed to take a heap a’ livin’ to gain status recognition.  It is not so difficult to recognize those persons who show the attitudes of wisdom – so that wise elders recognize they will find the route, and… Read more

Encountering Fads

August 28, 2019
Year 4, Day 240 | No Comments
Section of Christ and the Woman of Samaria, Benedetto Luti, 1715-20

Human beings are rather easily bored, and they tend to counter that unwanted context in various ways, some helpful and some seriously damaging to self and society.  Many fads are harmless carrying little meaning, while others hang on for decades changing in this or that emphasis as may be dictated by business value, celebrity accent, or even an important value orientation that becomes a part of a culture – lifting or diminishing persons and cultures.  A fad refers to a fashion.  When the trial period (fad) is over, and the factor is adopted by a significant number of persons it becomes a fashion (some factors are dropped and others retained).  When the fashion period passes and there is residue, the… Read more

Prejudice

August 27, 2019
Year 4, Day 239 | No Comments
Section of The Crucifixion, Pedro Orrente, ca. 1625–30

There is cultural conflict that is rather constant among and between groups both in common boundaries and between boundaries, made important to individual lives.  Even so little is done to understand the belief/action, to adapt to variances, so to permit ourselves to function well in any culture – with respect and progress.  This is not to say that the problem is muffled.  There is much said about it, but little done to resolve cultural conflict.  This is to say that it gains little attention to solution for group and civic life.  The public appears to be stalled in some negative patterns that permit cultures to divide us to stall in our humanity and even permit unneeded barriers that form something… Read more

Higher Education

August 26, 2019
Year 4, Day 238 | No Comments
Section of The Crucifixion, Pedro Orrente, ca. 1625–30

Should every person, qualifying for entry in an educational institution, actually matriculate?  To answer the question I believe the individual student needs an individual answer based on an interview of the student with an objective representative of society.  Then the prospective student ought to be entered into a short preregistration period of orientation (preparation) of the meaning of education and training as relates generally to higher education in general, and relating to the projections of the particular institution with this student.  This goes beyond the standard orientation programs I have known.  The benefit of such a program serves well the student and the institution, and mayassure better results for both than now attends.  For the student, the cost in funding,… Read more

Inclusive Education

August 25, 2019
Year 4, Day 237 | No Comments
Section of The Infant Jesus and St. John the Baptist, Guido Reni, n.d.

There needs to be some method found to educate the public for personal and social belief and conduct.  The following schedule comprises my suggestion as a beginning for a national program of public and Citizen Education directed toward the development of a peaceful, fair and loving society: Annual 52 Weeks’ National Discussions – for Understanding the Education of a contributing citizen Nation for Life – Peace, Equality and Freedom to Maturity, Service and Wisdom.  It is assumed that the Calendar will be repeated each year amending with use to the improvement of democratic and peaceful life for the nation and recommended to other nations in their idioms.  The national education office would direct the program, neither political nor with any… Read more

Faith Presupposition

August 24, 2019
Year 4, Day 236 | No Comments

Perhaps every generation provides champions of language and thought orientations that make their views persuasive in their lifetimes.  Often these live on into other generations, and become the sources appealed to in this or that orientation during centuries following.  Some of them are quite effective in what they set out to do, and many of them do not give much attention to what that means to the generations that follow.  John the Baptist spoke to his generation in his way, seen odd at the time for the sophisticated mind what with his dress and diet by which he gained wide attention.  Josephus gave him considerable attention in his writings.  Scant reference to Jesus appears in Josephus’ writings and may have… Read more

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